Product Description

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
audiogoy
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: November 16, 2013

Bottom Line:

I already wrote a review about this Meridian 565. But i'm so bless with this processor/pre
in my system that i wanted to share more. This pream it an absolute GEM. Specially for
the price you should found in the used market average of $250us. I will ONLY comment as a 2ch pream. Because i have not try in HT set up since i only have a 2 ch power amp.

For little money you will get a wonderfull pream who will give you dynamics and bass satisfaction and of course with very good sound quality. You can ad a sub and also
this Meridian 565 has a build in DAC. WOW The DAC chip is the SAME used in
The Meridian 506 cd player....a CS4328 dac.. Some week ago my Cambridge Audio
DVD 300 start to cut the sound when playing cd.SO I shop the web electronic used market
in my area and i found a SONY DVP-S7700 for $75 MINT with remote i jump and buy.

The Sony S7700 has a very good review as transport and have also a dedicate lens for cd
play back. I start using as cd player only, well good. But i wanted to try with the
dac in my Meridian 565. So i build a DIY digital cable with Furutech cable bulk FX Alpha AG
this is a pure silver conductor. With a pair of WTB 0147. In the first moment connected
to the dac i do'nt ear big difference.. But with 125 hour of burn in WOW i felt that i got a
new cd player!!! The sound is more clean and clear with more detail. What is strange it
the the minute i put a reference cd after 125 hour the cable was playing at low volume.

I really ear a new sound emerging from my system just like i connected a new cd player??? Before i felt like i have a transport connected to a dac via a cable. Now they
sound like it ONE CD PLAYER.I understand now why Meridian his a LEADER in digital
play back.... For all this reason a Recommand the Meridian 565.

It not like a dream MACHINE you can only dream because it too expensive... This
processor/pream can be found under $300 and at that price you get a analogue 2 ch
pream a dac and a HT processor. This is a SECRET BEST BUY unit.

i have this unit since 3 month and i love it. This year i decide to accomplich my dream
and get a separate pream/amp system, and i can't see my self return to integrated....

I start by founding a Hafler transnova 9303 and buy a very cheap pream Hafler Dh-101

But with the Hafler pream i felt that i miss something..To modif the pream was expensive.

So i looking for a better pream and i remember my first integrated Meridian 551 who was
pretty good. So i saw a used Meridian 565 and i buy it for $220US. WOW what a deal.

Now i run this processor in 2 ch and i can't be more happy. He has the dynamic and bass
i was looking for. Later i get a used pair of Furutech Alpha one speaker cable WOW.

AMAZING CABLE i get it for $120 with banane plug. Nothing can bit them at that price.

I will kept this cable for life. So i recommand Meridian 565 who goes very cheap used today and a very good processor for music lover, and if YOU like disco, dance ,rock, electro and
want a very good speaker cable Furutech Alpha 1 DIY will stay in your system for life.

He has the ability to bring the private intimacy of your power amp into your room....

I'm not a dealer or a high-end magasine owner but just an enthousiam music lover.

Wow, I am very impressed with this unit. I've experimented with various surround processors and I've never been happy with the sound. My main interest is music, and passable movie sound is a secondary priority.

What impresses me most is that the surround modes for music sound great, and this is from a diehard 2-channel person. I assumed I'd use the surround for movies only but find I prefer the music surround to 2-channel.

While my other preamps made good recordings sound great, they were also very unforgiving of lesser recordings. Those now sound great on this setup. While this unit doesn't have the pinpoint resolution of a good tube preamp, it does seem to have a wider soundstage and nice laid-back presence. It's much less forward than the BAT it replaces.
Setup is a pain, but you only do that once (hopefully). I'd like balanced outputs but don't see myself upgrading to the 568 anytime soon due to the price.

I highly recomend Meridian if music is the #1 priority and movies second. I can't really comment on the movie sound, to my ear it's great but I'm not too picky about movies. But ahh...the music...love it.

What I liked about the meridian is first of all the name and the looks. Also an old fashion video tape sound sounded terrific trough the meridian. I was also very please with the meridian using digital sound sources. It did a very fine job although it was not what I was looking for. The meridian 565 sounded very smooth and silky and it didn't dissapoint me with the bass. I was although constantly waiting for something to happen, an aspect of the sound to appear. Also it had way too much high tones emphazised which I am not a fan of. I listened to a jurrassic park dvd DTS version and found unbearable even with the thx filters for the high tones. The meridian had a huge selection of different DSP modes which were all very good and some fantastic but a little too subtle. I could always hear the difference between them but they were all too similar to deside what sounded best. The got the sensation that the meridian didn't dare to do all that it could, as if it was holding back. I found the setup fantastic with all its variables but I don't understand why it has been constrcuted so difficult that I have to switch it off anf back again while pressing some buttons and then when wanting another menu I should set it off again and put it back on from the (which was a stretch because mine stood in a cubbord) main switch and then back on while pressing again another button. You don't do this ofcourse so often but it somewhat kept me from experimenting with the adjustments. Finally I desided not to buy this product because it would've required me to buy more meridian products and also pretty sure new maybe meridian active speaker (because of the high tones).

I had a complete Adcom Pro-Logic home theater system. I my quest to upgrade my system I determined to spend the most I could possibly afford on a processor. I started with a all in one Denon, stepped up to a Rotel and ended up with the Meridian. Purchased used from a dealer. This is a unit I have only dreamed of having. Since the retail is over $5K for the 565 and the accompanying 562v is $2,300, I figured I would have to sell a body part if I wanted new. The newer version of the 565, the 568 is even more $. Needless to say this was the deal of a lifetime for me. It has far exceeded my expectations when I finally hooked it up. The sound is astounding! I could use more adjectives to describe this unit but it would just use up alot of space. Sounds great at low volume and high. No distortion, no hiss, no buzz, just clear crisp heart pounding sound. I cranked up the depth charge scene of U-571 the other day and just about blew the windows out of the house. Scared the crap out of my cat. She couldn't get out of the room fast enough. The sound is truely unbelievable. By far, the best bang for the buck, literally! Had it upgraded to the lastest software version (6.0) by the local dealer for free. Now equivalent to a new 568; DTS, 7.1 Dolby, etc. Great response from Meridian and the dealer. I am a happy camper. The next step is to go active. Saving my money for some Meridian DSP's.

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